Zoo keepers don't know yet if it's male or female, but the newcomer that hatched in June already is almost as big as its mother.

The chick whizzes around a wire enclosure it shares with its mother in the off-exhibit breeding area. It hides in a small ficus tree when strangers approach.

In an adjacent cage is the watchful father, who looks for a handout when Bailey approaches. Dad's colorful plumage is a reminder that the species was almost hunted to extinction in the 1800s when male red bird of paradise tail feathers were must-have hat decorations. The birds are native to small islands off the coast of Papua New Guinea just north of Australia.

The chick is the first successful breeding since 1978 for the Houston Zoo, and the keepers are quite pleased by its progress.

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The mother bird is doing an awesome job, said Bailey. The female nurtured the hatchling even as they weathered summer rains. The chick left the nest 17 days after hatching. They are eating fruit, meal worms, crickets and pellet food.